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Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has asked the US to transfer three former Saddam Hussain regime officials from US custody to a prison headed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, informed sources in Al Maliki's Al Dawa Party have revealed to Gulf News.
The men were sentenced to death by the Supreme Criminal Court in September 2007 for heading and participating in the famous Al Anfal genocide campaign against Kurds in Arbil, Sulaimainiyah and Kirkuk during Saddam's reign.
Ali Hassan Al Majid, who headed the three-year campaign, is currently in US custody as well as former Defence Minister Sultan Hashim, and former Assistant Chief of Army Staff, Hussain Rasheed.
Prison prepared
According to Qah'tani Al Anzi, an Interior Ministry Officer, a prison in the Al Kazimiyah area is being revamped to lodge detainees of the former regime and includes a special execution area for hangings.
Arif Shahin, the head of the Supreme Criminal Court, told Gulf News the court has done its duty issuing the death sentences and now it is up to the Iraqi government to carry out the sentences.
Al Maliki wants the immediate execution of the three convicts but President Jalal Al Talabani and his deputy Tarek Al Hashim rejected ratification of these sentences.
"There are more than 180,000 signatures of the Al Anfal victims families which were dispatched to the head of the government in Baghdad and the presidency to accelerate the implementation of death sentences against Al Majid, Hashim and Rasheed, since a year ago," Ayoub Kalali, the director general of the Ministry of Al Anfal of the Kurdistan Regional Government, told Gulf News.
No recourse
Some observers believe that Al Maliki's request to transfer Al Majid, Hashemi and Rasheed to an Iraqi prison will pave the way for the implementation of death sentences against those without recourse to the Presidency of the Republic.
Taleb Al Ameri, a criminal lawyer explained to Gulf News that Al Maliki has the authority to immediately carry out the death sentences without the consent of the President.
However, he warned that if he does this, it might cause a political crisis between political parties.
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